031: Capsizing in the Gutter

Whoosh, whoosh—

Three Sleeve Arrows, suddenly splitting apart, flashed through the darkness, streaking past in a triangular formation.

The buzzing sound from behind abruptly became chaotic, as if something had been hit, accompanied by a faint thud.

But Tang Jian, after flinging the Sleeve Arrows, didn't even glance back. He lunged sideways, hit the ground, rolled, and turned, activating the Sleeve Arrow Card once more.

Whoosh!

Three Sleeve Arrows, as if launched from multiple crossbows, shot back towards their original position at an incredibly fast speed.

Just then, Tang Jian turned his head and saw a fist-sized Poison Mosquito flying erratically. One of its cicada-wing-thin wings had been pierced by a Sleeve Arrow, affecting its flight speed and balance.

But before the Poison Mosquito could recover from that painful hit, two of Tang Jian's subsequent three Sleeve Arrows struck it directly.

Thwack, thwack.

The Poison Mosquito's chest and long abdomen were both hit by arrows. With a weak buzz, its fragile body split apart and dissipated into a faint wisp of energy.

"What?!"

Mosquito was greatly startled, his expression changing dramatically. He immediately pulled out the dagger from behind his waist, sweat already beading on his forehead.

Such quick reflexes, and the precision of these Sleeve Arrows... It's even a technique of discerning location by sound. This kid!

In a dark corner, Sun Yiying, who had observed Tang Jian's sharp and decisive attack, quietly retracted the Cards she had prepared for rescue. A hint of doubt and surprise flashed in her beautiful eyes.

Tang Jian let out a sigh of relief, squinting as his gaze swept towards the corner of the alleyway in the distance.

In the instant the crisis erupted, he had faintly sensed a subtle yet familiar presence.

Initially, his heart had skipped a beat, thinking it was an acquaintance targeting him.

But soon, Tang Jian analyzed who that presence must belong to.

His thoughts raced. Tang Jian calmly and swiftly turned, activating the Sleeve Arrow Card in his hand once more.

Three Sleeve Arrows shot through the darkness, directly piercing towards the faintly perceived location deep within the alley.

Mosquito roared, his body abruptly springing out from the corner. He parried one Sleeve Arrow with his dagger and dodged another.

But the moment he landed, he grunted, the last Sleeve Arrow striking his calf directly, sending a searing pain through his leg.

Mosquito gritted his teeth, his face contorted with ferocity. Enduring the intense pain in his leg, he roared and charged at Tang Jian, his dagger held tightly, moving swiftly, clearly in a desperate fight.

Tang Jian's eyes slightly chilled, but then his gaze flickered, as if stunned by Mosquito's desperate stance. He stumbled back two steps in panic, barely dodging Mosquito's slashing dagger, almost getting his arm cut.

Tsk! Was he overperforming just now due to the danger? Now his reactions are problematic, his combat experience is very weak, and he's intimidated by the opponent's fierce demeanor. Even if his fighting skills are good, he hasn't experienced life-or-death situations after all.

Sun Yiying watched Tang Jian, who seemed somewhat hesitant in the alley, then looked at Mosquito, who continued to let out fierce roars, fighting with full abandon and no thought of defense. She couldn't help but shake her head slightly, yet also felt a sense of understanding.

I really was overthinking things. Tang Jian is still just a child, after all. Even if he might have received guidance from some expert and made rapid progress, he's not a true battle-hardened warrior who has experienced blood and fire. How could he perform exceptionally well in a life-or-death battle? He needs a period of adaptation.

Sun Yiying remained highly attentive, ready to intervene at any moment.

After all, he was her student. Even though she had followed him with the intention of contacting the expert behind Tang Jian and didn't want to expose herself, if Tang Jian was in any danger, she certainly couldn't stand by idly.

However, Sun Yiying soon abandoned her plan to intervene.

Because Tang Jian was very cunning in the alley. After the initial somewhat "panicked" exchange, he gradually adapted, and managed to seize Mosquito's weak points and exploit them ruthlessly.

As a result, Mosquito quickly fell apart, beaten to the ground and subdued by Tang Jian.

Sun Yiying watched Tang Jian deal with Mosquito with interest, as if seeing her own awkward past self. But soon, she realized with embarrassment that she had truly been inferior to Tang Jian back then. This guy was utterly shameless.

With Mosquito's almost gnashing-teeth furious gaze upon him, Tang Jian confiscated the Poison Mosquito combat pet card from him, and also conveniently took a good amount of cash from Mosquito's person, even tearing off the large gold chain from his neck and claiming it for himself.

"Don't look so indignant. You attacked me out of nowhere. It's good enough that I'm not sending you to the police station. Tell me, who put you up to this?" Tang Jian said coldly, slapping Mosquito's face with loud smacks.

Mosquito growled, "If you've got the guts, send me to the police station!"

If Tang Jian dared to send him to the police station, at most he'd do some time, but he wouldn't suffer too great a loss. Things like his Poison Mosquito combat pet card couldn't be taken by Tang Jian; they were his personal property.

But if Tang Jian didn't send him to the police station, he couldn't go to the police himself to report it. After all, he was the one who initiated the attack. How could he report it?

Should I tell the police, "I wanted to cripple someone, but then they robbed me instead?"

Such an embarrassing confession, if it ever got out, Mosquito wouldn't be able to stay in the underworld. Asking the police for help was already shameful enough, but to be dealt with by a high school student... this was truly...

Tang Jian's eyes narrowed, like a cold-blooded wolf staring at prey beneath its foot. "Do you really think I wouldn't dare to kill? It's dark here, no one can see, and you initiated the attack on me. If I kill you now, it's self-defense."

As he spoke, he flipped his hand, and the dagger he had taken from Mosquito was pressed directly against Mosquito's neck. The force was so great that Mosquito felt a sharp sting, realizing his neck skin had been cut slightly.

"Wait, wait, wait!"

Mosquito was terrified, a shiver running through him. Fear finally showed in his eyes as he stared in horror at Tang Jian, whose face appeared incredibly dark and grim in the shadows. His mouth felt dry.

The killing intent Tang Jian had revealed in that instant didn't seem feigned. In his previous life, as a Three-Star Card Master, he had killed not only people but also alien creatures; he was no rookie.

Mosquito keenly sensed Tang Jian's killing intent and immediately felt immense danger. Although the other party's excuse about self-defense was laughable nonsense, he dared not laugh at this moment.

"Take the stuff, take it all. I'll admit defeat this time, and from now on, we'll mind our own business. The one who put me up to this was Xie Dong. You should know him."

Mosquito said bluntly, directly ratting out Xie Dong.

Underworld code of honor?

"What ethics?!"

Mosquito wished he could find Xie Dong right now and beat him senseless. If it weren't for that idiot, he wouldn't be injured, let alone suffer such a huge loss.

Tang Jian was no ordinary high school student; he was a monster! His combat experience was even better than Mosquito's, and Mosquito considered himself a seasoned veteran. Tang Jian was definitely a formidable opponent.

To think he'd taken two thousand yuan to go after Tang Jian...

Mosquito felt like he'd been utterly ripped off.

Thanks to reader "Xiao Lin Yao 666" for the reward! Please vote with recommendation tickets!! Please add to your book lists!